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UN Official Says Syrian Peace Talks Coming Soon

Just a few days ago, the U.N. Security council approved of new peace plans for Syria. In a rare display of unity, global leaders unanimously approved of the new political solution to seek international efforts with the worsening Syrian situation. This ongoing conflict which is now in its fifth year, has already cost trillions of dollars and resulted in the deaths of more than 250,000 people. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said that this new process is aimed at ending the civil war and providing a new government in Syria. Now, a senior United Nations official has confirmed that peace talks for Syria will begin toward the end of January in Geneva.

“The intention is that (de Mistura) starts some time toward the end of January,” said Michael Moller. It is said that the talks aim to establish “credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance” in Syria, and that a new constitution for the country will be drafted. This is a country which has democratically selected its leader, which several polls show majority support for, yet outside forces have taken it upon themselves to determine that the current leader is unfit for the job. They've defied international law in their battle with Syria, and it appears that they aren't going to stop until they have achieved the goal of having him permanently removed.

Both Russia and the United States have approved of the new resolution. “It's going to be uphill,... It will be complicated. But it will be possible,” according to U.N. Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. Kerry went on to cheer for the recent passage of the resolution, saying that it would send “a clear message to all concerned [that] the time is now to stop the killing in Syria and to lay the groundwork for a government the people of that battered land can support.” As if Kerry himself is an individual who values civil liberties and human rights, even though he has found to be in perpetual support of foreign policy that deteriorates both of these things for many around the world.

This recently passed Syrian peace resolution has only set a rough time-line for when political change can be expected within the nation. It estimates that the new government will be established and new open elections will be held all within 18 months from now. What comes across as a clear threat, Kerry warned that “if the war is to end, it is imperative that the Syrian people agree on an alternative in terms of their governance.”